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Question

Difficulty: Very hardAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Which of the following options presents a sentence that correctly positions the modifying participial phrase to maintain proper grammatical structure and clarity?

  1. A
    Exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain, camp was immediately pitched by the research team.
  2. Exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain, the research team immediately pitched camp.Answer
  3. C
    The research team decided to pitch camp exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain immediately.
  4. D
    Exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain, a stationary tent was complementarily erected by the research team.

Answer

Exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain, the research team immediately pitched camp.
The correct option places the true agent—'the research team'—immediately after the introductory modifier 'Exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain', fulfilling the core rules of modifier placement in Standard Written English.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory modifying phrase and ascertain its logical agent.
The phrase 'Exhausted by the arduous expedition across the terrain' describes an entity capable of feeling fatigue.
An introductory participial phrase must modify the noun or pronoun immediately following the comma.
2
Evaluate the immediate head noun following the main clause comma across all choices.
Only the sentence placing 'the research team' directly after the comma creates a grammatically logical connection.
Connecting the modifying phrase to passive nouns such as 'camp' or 'a stationary tent' results in a dangling modifier error.

Key Concept

Participial Modifier Placement and Subject Alignment
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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